Apr 27 2007
Tenet The Whiner
Boy, George Tenet is really a big baby. His CIA screwed up the call on the WMDs in Iraq (or more likely missed their transport to other countries like Syria) and now his big complaint is Bush had already decided to invade Iraq and so his CONFIRMATION of WMDs did not change a thing:
In a taped interview scheduled to air Sunday on CBS, Tenet said President Bush had made up his mind to invade Iraq long before the CIA director made his infamous Oval Office remark that it was a “slam-dunk” case that Saddam Hussein’s government had banned weapons.
Tenet was even more forceful in his criticism of Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, saying that the two had destroyed his reputation by repeatedly using the “slam-dunk” line to pin blame on him for the decision to go to war.
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Speaking about the December 2002 meeting in which he sought to assure President Bush that the evidence against Iraq was solid, Tenet said: “I’ll never believe that what happened that day informed the president’s view or belief of the legitimacy or the timing of this war. Never.”
Clearly Tenet is a Liberal Democrat because he lies to himself publically like Bill Clinton does. Hey George, maybe the reason what you said made no difference is because you confirmed decades of intelligence views that Saddam had WMD stockpiles? Now the question is, would Bush have stepped back if you could “Slam Dunk” claim Saddam had no WMDs and was not a threat? Well we will never know – because you NEVER said THAT! Stop whining about the fact everyone – including you – thought there were WMDs. And yes, your role has head of the US intelligence community DID carry weight and WAS something the American people needed to know to have confidence that the actions against Iraq were necessary. Crying on CBS’ shoulder shows EXACTLY why your reputation is in tatters. What a pathetic spectacle.
Was George Tenet’s “slam dunk” before or after the United Nations, sit behind Colin Powell confirming what Powell told the world body?
Kathie,
Great question! I don’t know but my recollection was it was well before.
AJStrata
Tenet knows the press will carry his water if he goes after Cheney.
I haven’t heard if he discusses his role in bombing Iraq during the Clinton years. Is there any indication he does?
I just read a WaPo article on his book. A critic of the Bush administration is a truthteller. A critic (think ex-FBI director Freeh) is dismissed as someone with a grudge. It makes my teeth itch, to borrow a phrase from Clarice. I still don’t know if he discusses his role in the Clinton administration in any depth. It is mentioned as an afterthought at the end of the article.
I’m sorry. I left out some words. A critic **of the Clinton administration** (think ex-FBI director Freeh) is dismissed as someone with a grudge.
As usual, a Leftist, MSM FAUX-scandal; but again, unfortunately, one that Bush/Cheney/Rumsfield Enabled, by not coming out and Immediately exposing and attacking these buffoons.
Also, again, like his father, Bush has a “loyalty weakness” issue.
Tenet, a Leftist Clintonista, if there ever was one, should’ve been FIRED on 9/12! As well as several other high-ranking people in the CIA, and State Department; Bush’s biggest mistake.
His second biggest mistake, was Trusting, and relying on Clintonistas like Tenet, Tony Zinni, Paul Bremmer, Joe Wilson, Valerie Plame, etc.; people who are political Clintonista hacks, who were literally enemies within the Administration; also like Treasury Sec Snow; who was buddies with Teresa Hines Kerry, and undoubtedly leaking insider information from the Administration, to the Kerry’s way before he “resigned”.
Finally in my “former life” in the IC, I read, for TEN YEARS, all the CIA Reports that pushed, and I mean PUSHED the Libya, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, ALL have active, aggressive, Advanced WMD programs, to include active Bio, Nuke, and Chem programs!
I read the weekly reports, the Annual Assesments, etc.
At the Military “facility” I used to work at, in Europe, we used to sit there and Ridicule most of the reports; they turned every Middle Eastern 3rd World country into the proverbial 10 foot tall CBR Bogeyman!
They ascribed advanced technologies in WMD research, and weapons, to countries that still can’t produce an indeginous automobile, TV, or VCR!
And yet, if we were to believe the crap the CIA shoveled out, from the early 80’s up thru the 90’s, these same countries had indigenous Binary Chem weapons, advanced ICBM technology, etc.!
And, it goes without saying, all the Bullshit they passed on Iraq!
Suddenly, when no WMD’s are found in Iraq (which is NOT true by the way); they abandon the ship like the RATS that they are!
Freaking, lying, backstabbing, treasonous bastards; I despise them…
Is Tenet saying that the NIE was a “slam dunk” unless it is held up to public scrutiny, then he is not sure if it is a ‘slam dunk’ once the public really knows what it containes. It is good if it is a secret and no one acts on it. Or as Hillary said, we knew what the NIE said, but we never went to war. I guess I’m wondering what the CIA thinks it is doing? Gathering information for the fun of it? The NIE said……….
The consensus of the intelligence agencies was that, with a “high level of confidence,” Iraq possessed both chemical and biological weapons and was “expanding its chemical, biological, nuclear and missile programs contrary to UN resolutions.” As to nuclear weapons specifically, the agencies concluded, with a “moderate level of confidence,” that “Iraq does not yet have a nuclear weapon or sufficient material to make one but is likely to have a weapon by 2007 to 2009.” and with a “high level of confidence” that “Iraq could make a nuclear weapon in months to a year once it acquires sufficient weapons grade fissile material.”
After 911, sounds like a “slam dunk’ to me.
Not only the press, but God in his heaven and all the angels on high will assist in an effort to bring the criminal Dick Cheney to justice for crimes against humanity.
God? I didn’t know Kucinich had been elevated to that status.
So, I guess Saddam, who put people into his shredders *feet first* so they could feel the pain all the way down is resting besides *your* “G0d”. Saddam, a truly wonderful person who was taken down by the evil Bush and Cheney.
Large sarcasm off now.
Mr. no reputation Tenet complains about HIS reputation, he was employed by the United States government to do a job. I wonder if he thinks about the Presidents reputation that HE shredded. Why was Tenet not in Baghdad looking for the WMD’s. The President didn’t lie, Tenet and his buddies were the liars. He can depend on the President to never point that out, for he is a much bigger man then Tenet ever thought of being.
I think his “slam dunk” was before and don’t even mention Colin Powell. Just think how this plays into the Powel/Tenet little Plamegame. Answers a few questions for me.
These men have lost all honor with me. Bush is a giant among migets.
Can anyone even imagine Bush writing a ‘tell-all’ book? Nope, that’s beyond imagination.
I have been writing for years that the ‘headchoppers were coming’. Guess I will change that because according to Tenet, they are HERE. He wonders the same as me……..when do they act. I say when they consolidate the Congress & WH.
If there were no weapons and Tenet had a suspicion of that he should have been sounding the alarm before Bush ever came to Washington. This is something I do not understand, the UN the US the Brits, the Russians were all saying the weapons were there long before Bush left Texas. So now Tenet says Bush did not wait for confirmation? Confirmation of what? That Tenet screwed up along with a lot of other people? Sounds to me like he is just trying to cover his ass with his buddies.
sooth:
You are so full of it.
Speaking of crimes against humanity, soothie would have let Saddam kill millions and would have done nothing, absolutely nothing to help the innocent or punish the guilty. His concerns in regards to socalled crimes against humanity begin and end with partisan politics.
Here’s the bottom line: Tenet was appointed DCI in 1997. He had four years to get reorganize Langley and get the intelligence community back in the business of collecting HUMINT before 9-11.
He failed.
He had six years to straighten the CIA out before the Iraq war. He failed.
We needed assets in place in Afghanistan, assets in place in Iraq. We didn’t. Was all this Cheney’s fault, too?
A lot of good points …
Tenet was a terrible DCI, and in fact is a dolt. By sheer luck of timing & circumstances, he somehow stayed on the job far longer than most DCIs. And as Dale pointed out, Bush’s loyalty sometimes betrays him, as it did here with the left-of-center, underwhelming Tenet.
Just like so many others in the CIA, he is trying to re-write history. The funny thing is he was right about Saddam having WMDs (wrong on the scope/amount), which is why every country with an intelligence agency concurred. But he failed miserably in establishing reliable HUMINT and in making headway with the rapid rise of the Islamo-fascists, notably Al Qaeda (Michael Scheurer is a decent, forthright guy, but was woefully lacking in ability to understand and marshall assets to combat the problem).
Tenet’s whining on Cheney & Rice is ridiculous and embarassing — it was his job! It’d be like your tax preparer whining when you get audited for an unlawful deduction taken at his recommendation. As others have said, since this is an anti-Bush/Cheney story, it will get play no matter how absurd.